Marginal drop in no. of tankers across Marathwada

AURANGABAD: Marathwada is still heavily dependent on tankers for meeting the demand of water in the region as a total of 3,297 tankers are still deployed in different parts of the region.
The number has witnessed marginal drop of 209 tankers over a period of last 15 days due to considerable rainfall in certain pockets.
As per official data, a population of over 54.49 lakh is still receiving drinking water through tankers.Aurangabad district is receiving the highest number of 1,064 water tankers, followed by Beed (916), Jalna (608), Osmanabad (250), Nanded (161), Latur (114), Parbhani (106) and Hingoli (78).
In Aurangabad district, Gangapur taluka is the most dependent on tankers with as many as 176 supplying water to the residents on a daily basis. This is followed by Vaijapur (173), tehsil limits of Aurangabad (132), Sillod (161), Paithan (138), Kannad (93), Khldabad (49) and Soygaon (10).
In terms of dependent population in the most affected districts of Marathwada, over 19.23 lakh people are quenching their thirst using the supply of tankers in Aurangabad district, while in Beed the number is over 13.11 lakh.
Around 6,700 public and private wells are still in possession of different district administrations in Marathwada in order to refill water tankers. "The number of water tankers in the region is expected to come down gradually as monsoon progresses. Besides minor dams and different barrages, different wells are likely to get revived due to rainfall which in turn would minimise the dependency of the people on water tankers," authorities concerned said.
While rural areas of Marathwada are receiving drinking water through tankers, those residing in urban areas have to quench their thirst by buying water jars.
Nalini Washikar, a resident of Beed, said she buys two water jars per day throughout summer.
"The water supply through tap has become a rarity in our area. We have a private bore-well, but it has gone dry since the beginning of summer," she said.